1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to process management systems and methods of the same, and more specifically pertains to a manufacturing process management system, a repairing process management system, and their corresponding methods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various Web sites have been provided to enable each customer to order a product on the Internet by specifying desired components of the product. In response to an order of the product from the customer, a manufacturer managing such a Web site picks up the customer's desired components, assembles the picked-up components to complete the ordered product, and ships the completed product to the customer. The manufacture naturally demands grasping the current location of the product in a manufacturing flow of multiple manufacturing processes after accepting the order of the product from the customer. The customer, on the other hand, demands grasping the current location of the ordered product in the manufacturing flow of the multiple manufacturing processes as an indication of when the ordered product will be delivered.
Various Web sites have also been provided to enable each customer to give a repair request of a product on the Internet. In response to a repair request of the product from the customer, a manufacturer managing such a Web site receives the defective product, actually carries out repair after determining the specification of the repair, and ships the repaired product to the customer. The manufacturer also receives repair requests from the customer by telephone or by facsimile. The manufacturer naturally demands grasping the current location of the product in a repairing flow of multiple repairing processes after accepting the repair request from the customer. The customer, on the other hand, demands grasping the current location of the repair-requested product in the repairing flow of the multiple repairing processes as an indication of when the repair-requested product will be delivered.
One proposed system of managing the progress in a manufacturing flow is disclosed in JAPANESE PATENT LAID-OPEN GAZETTE No. 5-233641.
In order to attain the demands discussed above, the object of the present invention is to provide a process management system that readily manages a current location of a product in a process flow of multiple processes, especially in a manufacturing process flow of multiple manufacturing processes or in a repairing process flow of multiple repairing processes, as well as a corresponding process management method. The object of the present invention is also to provide a process management system that readily informs a customer of information representing a current location of a product in a process flow of multiple processes, especially in a manufacturing process flow of multiple manufacturing processes or in a repairing process flow of multiple repairing processes, as well as a corresponding process management method.